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Cook the Book: 'The Cook's Country Cookbook'

20081020-cookscountry.jpgI frequently work as a freelance recipe tester. Most people think that it must be a dream job—they imagine me puttering about my kitchen, popping delicious creations in and out of my oven all day long. This couldn't be further from the truth. Like any job, recipe testing is often incredibly stressful. Recently, I spent six hours slaving over homemade croissants—pounding the butter, rolling the dough, chilling them, letting them rise, and tying them into little knots—only to have them emerge like butter-drenched hockey pucks.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do. Along with the failed croissants, the same assignment yielded recipes for a perfectly balanced chilled cucumber soup, and to-die-for apricot-almond bars. But nothing is more upsetting than working very hard on a dish only to have it turn out all wrong.

That's why, when I'm not working, I often turn to recipes from America's Test Kitchen, the tireless team behind Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. From tried-and-true chicken soups to seafood jambalayas to perfectly tart lemon bars, I can honestly say that I have never made a recipe from America's Test Kitchen that didn't work. Their mission "is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version."

This week's Cook the Book selection is The Cook's Country Cookbook: Rediscovering American Home Cooking with 500 Classic, Regional, and Heirloom Recipes. With 17 exhaustive chapters (including "Lunch Counter Specials" and "Blue Ribbon Cakes"), this book strikes me as a wonderful go-to guide when you're looking to prepare a casual weeknight meal, or for something sweet to donate to the school bake sale.

Win 'The Cook's Country Cookbook'

In addition to excerpting a recipe from The Cook's Country Cookbook each day this week, we're also giving away five (5) copies. To enter for a chance to win, simply answer this question in the comments section below: What is your favorite all-American potluck dish?

Five (5) people will be chosen at random from eligible comments below. Comments will close Monday, October 27 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.

Comments are closed: 598 Comments:

A german style potato salad - whose recipe someone copied for us out of one of their Cook's Country sources.

I have two favorites: macaroni and cheese (in a crock pot) in the winter, and tuna macaraoni salad in the summer. What can I say, I love macaroni!

Definitely potato salad. Mmmm.

I always bring some kind of dip.

Vegetarian chili!

I make a mashed potato in a crock pot for holidays, and it's always a crowd-pleaser.

Brownies. Easy to make, goof-proof transporting.

My favorites to eat and make are macaroni and cheese or lemon bars (the classic Cooks' Illustrated versions, in fact!)

North Carolina pulled pork. It's always a hit.

HUMMUS!

If I make it, it's American.

Two faves: Tyler Florence's ultimate potato salad and this potato casserole made with all things American: frozen hash browns, cream of mushroom soup, and cornflakes. It's seriously crack-like in its tastiness.

My favorite definitely has to be fried chicken. Especially the kind that has a light and crispy batter coating. YUM!

chocolate cake

Deviled eggs - as throwback as an old school Bob Cousy jersey.

My favorite is definitely mac & cheese, except it's rarely done well. I'm not saying I'm a mac & cheese expert, but cold, gummy, bland concoctions have graced many a pot luck table in my day. I like what someone else said about using a crock pot. I need to try that.

I think we should talk about the WORST pot luck dish. I have a relative who always brings the shrimp cocktail "ring" from the supermarket. It's always half-frozen and tastes like crap.

Cottage pie, but I spice it like tourtiere.

Deviled eggs. Every one is this town has a different recipe and potlucks are a competitive event. I like mine with mustard, mayo, chopped sweet pickles and a little cayenne pepper in the middle.

baked ziti. Hearty and always a crowd pleaser

My grandmother's bread pudding.

I like to bring corn cooked down with cream cheese added, or a big pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. Broccoli salad is also good. It really depends on the season.

Potato salad, with red potatoes and plenty of dill.

chicken pot-pie. yum. and perfect for the onset of cold weather :)

Meatballs in that tangy sauce

Mac and cheese anytime and pasta salad for summer.

For summer potlucks, you've gotta go with deviled eggs. Plain ones, not too fancy. For wintery, indoor potlucks, I bring swedish meatballs or a cheese fondue.

My pasta salad with green beans, red onions, bacon, and a classic vinaigrette. It's perfect in summer and it goes fast!

Fried Chicken- I never make it or allow myself to eat it much, except when someone else brings it to a party :o)

Spinach artichoke dip, even though it gives me *major* heartburn.

If there can be only one: Macaroni and Cheese!

I like to do dips: guacamole, hummus, spinach cheese dip.

Potato salad. Extra celery. Summer in a Tupperware bowl.

cornbread! always a hit especially when combined with honey :D

Deviled eggs, baked ziti, chili mac.

curried potato salad with spinach, y'all. ;)

I love roasted red pepper dip. Cheesy and delicious.

Pulled pork, western North Carolina style.

I'd have to say Baked Macaroni and Cheese, with the cracker crumb topping!!!! America's Test Kitchen has the best recipe for this!

Lasagna. Or fruit salad.

Focaccia is my favorite to bring, very popular.

In the summer, pasta salad made with orzo with cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, scallions.

Baked Beans in the winter and brocolli/cranberry salad in summer.

My favorite is lasagna or baked ziti or orzo salad from Giada de Laurentiis.

Deviled eggs in the summer, pumpkin bread in the winter.

The mac & cheese recipe from Cook's Illustrated. Rave reviews every time.

Easy, Fried chicken

stuffed mushrooms

Potato salad!!!!

To make: German Baked Beans (baked beans with sauerkraut). To eat: deviled eggs.

Not exactly creative but lasagna!

Lemon Bars--made with the mother of my BFF from high school's recipe (weird grammar--I know).

mac & cheese..the answer to many questions

I love to make Hot Spinach and Artichoke dip

fried chicken or eggplant provencal (aka eggplant mush)

potato casserole (frozen hash browns drowned in a blend sour cream and cheese, topped with cornflakes+ lots of butter)

Andouille Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo

Spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or potato salad.

Oof.

Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Casserole--the only casserole my husband will eat. Yum!

to make... individual meatloaf men.... to have mac & cheese.

Little weiners in a crockpot with barbecue sauce. I'm a sucker for 'em. Also, tortilla pinwheels.

this cheesy, spicy dip that my sister taught me how to make...looks gross when mixed all together, but tastes really good.

Fresh artichoke and chicken dip, or a childhood staple pot-luck dish - cavatelli and broccoli with parmesean.

Chili. Mine's gooood.

Macaroni and cheese all the time.

Meatballs...some can be grotesque, but others so delicious...

I have a potato salad made with bacon, dill pickle and red onion that I've been bringing to picnics and potlucks for about 20. It's so simple it always suprises me how much people like it.

I also make "stuffed french toast" quite a bit. Essentially a bread pudding with cream cheese in the middle. I change it up every time using different quick breads instead of sourdough, fresh berries or persimmons, pecans or walnuts, dried cherries and cranberries etc.... I love the unlimited options that make it a different dish every time!

Bean salad with four or five kinds of beans and balsalmic and some chopped jalepeno. Easy and everybody loves it.

banana pudding made with vanilla wafers

Brings back memories of many trips to the church basement for many a communal meal. As a kid I would eat the main dishes, but made return trips to the Jello table.

Z

Chili is often either my favorite or my least favorite, depending on who made it.

Macaroni & cheese. Or deviled eggs.

Mac and cheese. I've done chili at times, but I don't really think of it as "All-American."

I take guilty pleasure in this cheesy crockpot dip my aunt makes for family parties. It definitely has Velveeta and spicy breakfast sausage in it, but I couldn't tell you what else. We dip in torn pieces of baguette and try not to think too hard about all the glorious fat coating our tastebuds . . . mmm.

Ask me another day and I might also cop to a love of macaroni and cheese (preferably made with Emmentaler) or enchilada casseroles (preferably made with real Mexican cheese). I think there's a theme here.

Chicken and Dumplings

Nothing wrong with a good, All-American six pack.

Hashbrown Casserole...If I ever went to potlucks I would totally make sure this showed up.

Another cheesy potato casserole - hash browns, cheddar cheese, mushroom soup, some milk, sour cream and topped with corn flakes doused in butter.

Or I cheat and buy artichoke dip in the store, then grab a bread bowl and fill with the dip. :-)

A relish plate: deviled eggs, radish "flowers," celery stuffed with Liptauer cheese (from one of my Hungarian cookbooks), the biggest black olives to be found in a can (must be from a can here!), cornichon pickles. Cheesy breadsticks optional.

mac and cheese

yogurt pie...sounds gross...but is AWESOME!

My Mom's easy baked beans. There never seems to be enough as everyone loves it at potlucks.

Sorry, this is a little off topic, I know, but I'm hoping someone here might be able to educate me. I just discovered America's Test Kitchen last year. Happened upon it on my local PBS one Saturday and fell in love with the show. (I even won a 2008 ATK cookbook from my local paper for a lemon pound cake I made - not sure the poundcake was all that great, I think I might've been the only one to enter! but I was thrilled to get it!) So, now, my PBS is playing Cooks Country, same cast of cooks, testing each recipe as they did on ATK, yes, there's a different studio (& I haven't seen Christopher Kimble answer any viewers questions yet..) but - I don't get it - why the change of name & venue? What's supposed to be the difference between the two shows (aside, again, from name & venue). Is it simply marketing? Get more cookbooks out there to sell? What am I missing?

hhmm.. yea & I loved deviled eggs and mac & cheese too!

Macaroni and cheese! But if I'm cooking kosher, potato pudding....yum.

mac n cheese

I love au gratin potatoes. Warm, cheesy and potato-y.

Manhattan meatballs or blondies.

Mac and cheese!

banana pudding

Chili in the fall/winter, macaroni salad in the spring/summer.

Key Lime Pie, such a refreshing dish that is easy to make and (just about) everyone loves.

Cold noodles in peanut sauce. Very simple, plus I can make it the day before.

Good old fashioned, Junior League Cookbook-style broccoli cheese rice casserole. I loves me some southern cream of xxx soup casseroles!

Baked beans or some kind of stew!

Baked beans or stew!

I think I'll need to turn in my foodie card for this one - but seven-layer dip.

Queso with Jimmy Dean sausage and Rotel tomatoes in the crockpot!!

My aunt's Mixed Baked Beans recipe. It always gets raves, and requests for the recipe.

probably bread pudding

I have a recipe for an upside down carmelized pear tart that I got from Gourmet a few years ago that's so very easy, yet looks and tastes like it took hours when in fact it takes only about a half an hour. It never fails.

GUNK!

Gunk = Shredded cheddar cheese with a can of green chile's, a splash of tabasco, tomato paste, chopped black olives, salt and pepper, mix well.

THEN

take a few dozen silver dollar dinner rolls (the small ones) and hollow out the center. shove that cheese mixture in those roles and bake off at 300 for 15 minutes or so. Rad to the max!

green bean casserole

Here in Las Vegas an office potluck means yummy dishes from all over the world...my current favorite is Filipino chicken adobo.

mac & cheese

deviled eggs or pasta salad

deviled eggs

It never fails, I get asked for the recipe more often than anything else and the pan gets emptied first when a bring a jiffy cornbread casserole made with both cream-style and whole kernel corn, tons of butter, cheddar cheese and dollops of cream cheese.

Mexican Lasagne! It's the best!

oh wait.. or Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip (and I'm actually from Buffalo!)

Potato salad with mustard vinaigrette dressing

I think the most American option, is probably deviled eggs. They're so simple to make, and ubiquitous at any function, but people go nutty for them all the same.

Although I think my personal favourite is 7 layer dip. But I like anything in a dipable goo form.

Swedish-American meatballs. ;·)

Really good baked beans. They are good even after they cool a little bit - great for that second helping!

For my go-to potluck dish I toss together a mean macaroni salad given to me by my Mississippi grandmother.

So many have said it because they're so so good - deviled eggs!

Hot buffalo chicken wings, or wings with any other flavor for that matter.
Teriyaki with wasabi dipping sauce or BBQ work fine too.

Sliders with grilled onions and American cheese on miniature potato rolls and a spicy catsup sauce to go with.

bean dip, a winner every time.

Mac&cheese, noodle pudding, baked beans.

for specifically "All-American" I have to go with Tater Tot Casserole, the one with ground beef and green beans.

7 layer dip. everyone loves it. (But not the kind from the deli - my own homemade kind.)

Baked beans, or scalloped potatoes.

Potato salad. As long as it's not an outdoor potluck :)
Brandy

If I'm bringing it, deviled eggs. If someone else made it, and it's good, baked beans.

mac n cheese!

White chicken chili.

i am always asked to make clam chowder and clam cakes, and deep fried double scallops wrapped in thick bacon .

Baked ziti with ground turkey

I like to make a macaroni salad I learned from my late mother-in-law.

deviled eggs laced with horseradish, for sure

My favorite potluck dish is baked pasta - recently I've been making a spicy baked macaroni with spinach and tomato that everyone loves.

Baked corn dip with chipotles and monterey jack cheese.

Ham and scalloped potatoes or chocolate chip cookies.

Is cassolet to french?

Big fat salad with tons of stuff and homemade dressing.

scalloped potatoes

bacon wrapped smokies

Macaroni and cheese with lots of gooey cheese! Yum!!!!

I'm usually asked to make Almost NC BBQ in my slow cooker by my family.

Barefoot Contessa's orzo salad with roasted veggies, yum yum!

German potato salad, bean salad.... homemade cobblers!

Chili! All-American and potluck.

Chocolate pie. Always a crowd pleaser!

Some sort of breakfast casserole, I'd say.

Bean salad- it's so easy and if you let it marinate for a little while it's a big pleaser!

Also pie!

Brownies -- fudgy ones, the best kind. Chocolate is always a hit!

Vegetable lasagna is always fantabulous!

It used to be a chicken enchilada dish that was admittedly mediocre but always finished by the end of the night. After discovering America's Test Kitchen's macaroni salad, I never pass up the chance to whip up a batch. It's eyed suspiciously in the mayonnaise-phobic Northwest, but eventually disappears once the first brave fork dives in and news of its deliciousness spreads.

All-Canadian?

Three-bean salad and chocolate chip cokies.

The Barefoot Contessa's or Silver Palate's cheese straws, hot artichoke dip with cocktail rye bread, the Silver Palate's deviled eggs with pink Schezuan peppercorns, or miniature sweet and sour meatballs!

I like to whip up a batch of chicken pot pie filling (using my secret ingredients: bacon fat and a little demi) and while that's cooking get some simple pie dough together (again with bacon fat). Then I get out a muffin tin and assemble my little individual pot pies. I sometimes par bake them at home and finish it off where ever the party is. Pretty easy, really cheap, and everyone loves it!

Potato Cheddar Casserole made with refrigerated hash browns, cheese, butter, cream of chicken soup, and the secret ingredient...French Onion Dip! So easy to make, it feels like a cop out, but it literally disappears in minutes.

Sweet-and-sour meatballs are my girlfriend's favorite, and I'll go with a pasta salad pepadew peppers and olives.

Not very all-American I guess, but a salad with artichoke hearts and roasted crimini mushrooms with garlic, onions, herbs, balsamic and olive oil.

And chocolate chip cheesecake.

mac n cheese with a nice crusty top, gooey insides!

Broccoli cheese and rice casserole. I'm dying to eat it again.

Ooey, Gooey, Mac 'n Cheese!

Spinach dip.

mac and cheese

Turkey casserole

Beef chili and cornbread muffins

brownies, oatmeal cookies or carrot cake

7 layer bean dip (to eat)! Or brownies (to make).

To bring or to eat?
Either way, I'd say broccoli salad or vegetarian chili.

Potato and cheese casserole. So good.

Summer: Baby potato salad with bacon
Winter: Mac and Cheese

I'll probably say brownies or chocolate chip cookies!

hmm mac and cheese...pot roast with lots of potatoes, or lasagne

sweet potato biscuits!

I'm a 2nd generation Taiwanese American, so when I bring something to an American potluck, it's usually potato salad. But I have MUCH fonder memories of Taiwanese potlucks -- I've been to many more of those than American ones -- and my favorite thing is always the rice noodles that my mom makes. One day I will learn how to make them, and then I'll bring them to my own potlucks, American or not!

scalloped potatoes for sure.

Everyone always expects me to bring baked goods, so I lean towards cookies. Snickerdoodles are my specialty.

Count on me for green bean casserole.

Hard to choose just one. What I take the most and people like are deviled eggs and a layered salad. Yummy...

any kind of casserole but green bean would be my favourite

My Favorite all time American potluck dish is what I usually bring which is Wild Rice Chicken Salad which always goes and I always bring home an empty bowl. Now I'm hungry...Geez'...lol...

Corn bread (with cornmeal from my Uncle's mill) or lemon squares ... depending on what dish I am responsible for.

Deviled eggs, pot roast, home-made salisbury steak, loaded chicken and wild rice casserole, chocolate cobbler, caramel cream pie

mac and cheese

It's not a potluck without some kind of cheesy potato casserole!

My mom used to make this hashbrown/ham/cheese dish that was named after someone named Sara. That was soooo good and I haven't had it in soooo long!

One of my favorite potluck dishes would have to be my homemade chili. Lots of beef, beans and fire.

The other favorite potluck dish would be my German Potato Salad that my grandmother brought to America with her in the 1900's. It has been passed down through the generations and everyone seems to love it.

it all depends on the occasion for the pot-luck and what happens before it. if i am coming directly from home, then i can bring a hot dish, like mac and cheese or chicken devian. if i will be occupied then i will go with a chineese chicken salad or grilled veggie pasta salad. if i am doing dessert, then it's all about brownies, death by chocolate or my grandma's berry cobbler... a crowd favorite anywhere!

chitlins & prairie oysters

I love blueberry salad that my Mother-In-Law makes. During the Holiday season, she uses cranberries instead of blueberry. I can just eat it by itself or with meat!
What I like to cook for a potluck is Macaroni and Cheese. My family enjoys eating the one that I get from Emeril's recipe.

I always make potato salad because my husband loves it.

I love making brownies, so easy and always a favorite.

It's all about the mac n cheese.

My Grandmother's Peach Cobbler.

Cheers!

emerald420@hotmail.com

Macaroni salad with peas and cheddar.

I really like Ham and Scalloped Potatoes, it is usually at potluck dinners I've attended.

I usually make an Italian potato salad and always get asked for the recipe.

Mustard potato salad

I love fried chicken! Yummy

It might sound odd, but I always bring a platter of roasted vegetables to a potluck. Sometimes it's the only thing on the table that's not a gooey casserole or dessert.

I would say potato salad or fruit salad

Garlic, cheesy mashed potatoes or extra cheesy mac n' cheese are my favorite, all-american, potluck dishes.

I usually bring vegetables or salad or bread, since those are the sides that tend to be 'underbrought' but my favorites are home-made desserts, cookies or brownies or ice box cake!

Macaroni and cheese all the way!

When I go to a potluck I usually bring a big pot of baked beans and a fruit platter.

Potato Salad

Homemade Mac and Cheese..Yum!

Apple crumble, from a crock pot. Yum!

BBQ Pulled pork.

Great smoky baked beans.

Pea and beet salad. I actually don't know quite what's in it (other than frozen peas and pickled beets), but it's delicious, and since I've only had it in western PA, it says "home" to me.

Unless I think it might have been sitting out too long, my favorite potluck dish is potato salad - lots of mayo and eggs and please, no celery!

The most popular potluck dish I prepare is the Sweet and Sour Meatballs with pineapple chunks, green and red peppers, sliced onions, and cherries.

My mom's beef n beans,now mine too!

Mashed Potatoes!

Pulled pork

Cheesy Potatoes (sans mushrooms please)

those little meatballs in that bbq sauce that has grape jelly in it. they're so good.

Cucumber pasta salad with black olives and pepperjack cheese. Thank you!

Vegetarian Lasagna

I love Baked Ziti and Corn Casserole. (but not together)

Baked Beans, which stay nice and warm in the crock pot,

Peanut butter cookies!

Shredded Barbeque Pork.

Tuna casserole!

Homemade mac and cheese-NOTHING as comforting!

Turkey meatballs in a slow cooker with a jar of grape jelly and a bottle of chili sauce. No more, no less.

Chicken Pot Pie is my specialty and favorite pot luck meal !

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Black-eyed pea dip (texas caviar)

Praline Pecan Cookies

Praline Pecan Cookies

Meatballs in chili sauce with grape jelly; figs wrapped in proscuitto with blue cheese and mac & cheese

In the summer I love making potato salad - I used a sweet potato salad recipe with apples that I got from this site (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/05/sweet-potato-salad-recipe.html) and it was a repeat request! In the fall when potlucks consist of apple-picking picnics, Thanksgiving, and several holiday parties, I usually roast root vegitables with seasonal herbs, onions, and olive oil. My favorite combination is carrots, beets, and parsnips, although sweet potatoes, turnips, and other potatos work well too. It's hearty, warm, and super nutritious.

chili is great - especially in the fall and winter!

mini muffallettas

Do I have to pick just one?? Ok, then it would have to be a good southern mustard potato salad with plenty of boiled eggs in it, coming in second and third would be fried chicken, and deviled eggs. Now I'm hungry!!

korean shortribs

My wife's family makes a dish called Calico Beans. It's Butterbeans, Kidney Beans and Pork & Beans with Ground Beef, Onions and Bacon. There's ketchup and stuff in it too and it's terrific!

brownies or pasta salad every time

i must confess that i hate these scattered disconnected smorgasborgs where great home cooking mixes with paltry offerings...but i want to enter the contest, so.... I choose pasta salad...sorta hard to mess that up...

For me, it has to be mac'n'cheese.

I make some great baked beans.....no baking, all canned beans made on the stove.....the secret is ground beef and ground sausage along with all the other good stuff.

Musubi! And potato salad! And Ribs!

I'll have to go with the potato salad that everyone is posting. Though, I'm kind of picky about it. Really has to be the family recipe or I don't like it so much.

If we include desserts, then any kind of cobbler or crisp would be high on the list if not at the top.

deviled eggs and fried chicken...yummmm!

I make a really yummy chilli cheese dip.

my mom used to make these porcupine meatballs in a sweet barbecue sauce. YES! bring those back.

Mac and Cheese with a crusty, buttery top!

there are too many! ...um...lasagna, chicken pot pie, potatoes au gratin...i can go on and on!

Spinach artichoke dip is never unwelcome, unless the vegans are in charge.

last potluck I went to, I brought a pasta salad....

Unless I knew a group's special preferences, a good choice is always escalloped macaroni with a topping of cheese.

But I didn't answer the question did I?.....
My favorite is the potato casserole with hash browns. LOVE IT!

"funeral potatoes" - shredded potatoes with sour cream, cheese, etc - so yummy!

Homemade mac and cheese. Mmmmmm.

angel hair pasta salad. angel hair pasta, broccoli, peppers, olives, peas all tossed with a good italian dressing. super easy to make, best when made the day before and everyone loves it!

I used to always make mac & cheese from the Black Family Reunion cookbook, but recently I've been asked to bring my Texas-sized chocolate cupcakes.

Definitely mac n cheese. Incidentally, my favorite recipe is from Cooks Illustrated.

eggplant casserole

For a plain old neighborhood pot luck? Little smokies in Barbeque Sauce. For special events requiring less pedestrian ingredients, cherry tomatoes stuffed with green onion and bacon -- labor intensive but worth it.

Who doesn't love deviled eggs?

My mom's macaroni hot dish, which is a layer of ground beef browned with onion and peppers and mixed with a small amount of tomato sauce, then topped with super creamy macaroni and cheese. Everyone who tries it, even if they think it sounds weird, LOVES it.

Sheet cake with cooked chocolate icing and topped with toasted pecans....it's always a hit and every bit is always eaten up.

My Mom's Swedish Meatballs. Classic 70's Yum!

Nothing beats a great homemade cherry pie.

I rotate between ham, cream cheese and green onion roll-ups or cold shrimp pasta salad or stuffed eggs or kalua chocolate chip cupcakes.

My favorite pot-luck dish is Southwestern Pasta Salad. Yummy.

I think home cooking is a dying art. This book sounds great.

Ore-Ida Potato Casserole

Chili. Everybody loves chili.

vinegar-y coleslaw and pajun

Any kind of pie!

Mac and Cheese

I really want to win this book!!!!

Mac and Cheese!

apple pie! or cupcakes. people love cupcakes.

Crock-pot Mac & Cheese (simplicity itself) or green bean casserole (crowd favorite)

A chickpea salad -- chickpeas, cucumber, red bell pepper, Italian parsley, green onions combined with vinaigrette. I always think no one will eat it and it's always gone.

mac and cheese. I don't measure anything but when I use gruyere and hit the right amount of moisture, it's soooo good.

Baked mac and cheese, hands down. But it needs to be the nice, chunky, cheesy kind - not the runny cheesy kind. Failing that, broccoli casserole. I like baked things.

Anytime I can find a Monte Cristo on a menu I HAVE to order it!

Fav. potluck dish: Anything for dessert that looks like I have spent days making...

Mac and chesse........mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Green bean casserole! Yum!

Mac and cheese -- my mother is the best Cantonese cook in the world, but her way of making pasta is to boil the noodles, along with the (unsalted) water, in a covered pot until she notices them about half an hour later. It was a lot of Kraft before I realized I could make my own...

Chili
Homemade mac n cheese
My mom's goulash recipe

Lasagna, green chili stew (in cold weather), spice cake with whipped cream (at places where I will not get in the hostess' way while hand whipping).

Oh god....everything. My childhood memories revolve around potlucks. Potato salad is an eternal comfort food, and I always made a beeline for the deviled eggs....but my favorite dish was made by my adopted grandmother, who added cottage cheese, walnuts, and coconut shreds to green pudding and topped it with lime jello. Ambrosia, really.

Gotta be a nice big pot of thick Lentil Soup.

Pie, typically apple or key lime

Funeral potatoes - creamy heaven.

Chili con carne or Scottish shortbread

Scalloped potatoes with ham is the favorite in our family. Yummy

Shepard's Pie, the kind with a cheesy mashed potatoe topping.

potato salad - made with Yukon Golds, and a mustard-balsamic vinaigrette.......ummmmmm

baked ziti!

Mmm... this brings back some really happy memories of chubby little kid me at family reunions. Back then, the hands-down answer would have been that cherry "cheesecake" from a box (which is sweet enough to cause instant diabetes). Now, it'd be a toss-up between deviled eggs and my father-in-law's "dead woman's beans"--a really fantastic version of baked beans.

I've got to name two: Mac and Cheese, and Deviled Eggs

Potato salad, hands down!

Summer: Carve a watermelon into a basket and fill it with seasonal fruit- chunks of watermelon, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. Winter: Pumpkin or pecan pie.

Honestly that horrid concoction involving whipped topping and some sort of pistachio pudding.

Potato salad or deviled eggs. If it is a family potluck gathering I am asked to bring cheeseball. I curse the day I first brought that cheeseball to a family party.....

That green ambrosia stuff made with pistachio pudding mix, canned pineapple, Cool Whip, and nuts.

lasagna, or brownies.. =P

baked beans with brown sugar, bacon and onions.

Deviled eggs

Baked Ziti and Meatballs.

janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

old school mac and cheese!

potato salad

chicken and dumplings

banana pudding

sweet and sour meatballs in a crock pot.

green bean casserole

Candied bacon-wrapped mini smoked sausages

Deviled eggs & potato salad

Savannah Red Rice or Spinach Artichoke Dip. I have a craving for deviled eggs now, though....

I could eat the Baked Macaroni and Cheese every day!

My absolute favorite is my grandmother's bow tie pasta salad with broccoli, tomatoes, mozzarella, and olives with a mayo-cider vinegar dressing. yum!

Sweet and sour meatballs!

For potluck, would have to be Taco soup.

Wow, lots of competition for this one! For me, I'd go with sweet potato casserole with bacon, so it's savory, not sweet.

lasagna - feeds an army and everybody loves it!

deviled eggs

Potato salad

Green bean casserole!

Spinach Dip

My favorite pot luck is the pot roast recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It comes out perfectly.

Egg noodles mixed with butter and cottage cheese and heated throughout - very cheesy and delicious.

My own "famous" Portuguese fava beans .....or my cheesy meatballs . Both are always a HIT !

deviled eggs for sure!

Noodle Kugel. My grandmother's recipe - everyone always loves it.

BBQ meatballs

I ltake a large smoked beef brisket.

A smoked beef brisket.

Potato salad is a good one.

A most decadently delicious Ritz cracker and broccoli casserole with cheese.

Tater tot casserole.

chili and cornbread-- there's no point without the cornbread

Potato salad. In the summer I love a fruit salad with a little chopped mint!

Definately something sweet--pretty much any bar cookie (brownies, magic layer bars, smores bars, scotcharoos, etc). Otherwise, beer :)

uber classic potato salad with a little mustard in it!

I make a pretty mean bagel dip!

Some starchy salad-- potato, pasta... you could probably just dress flour in a vinegarette and I'd be all over that.

Pot Lucks are very scary for us since my son has severe nut allergies. I always bring his favorite Baked Ziti.

teriyaki chicken wings, or actually chicken wings of any sort.

Hands down, tuna casserole

dal or red rice salad.

Eggplant Parmigiana usually keeps everyone happy!

devil's food cake with ganache filling and seven minute frosting. homey and easy but tasty...........

I think Mac and Cheese has to be pretty classic. (Though deviled eggs come in at a close second.)

Broccoli salad with craisins and bacon. It fits the bill for a coleslaw-type salad, but is just a little different.

I have to agree with those that chose deviled eggs!

Tuna casserole.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and red sprinkles. I bought an awesome cupcake taker-stacker-thingy which assures that they arrive alive.

It has to be "Company Hash Browns" (as they're called here in the midwest...I'm sure there are many name variations for this dish).......it's VERY fattening and high in sodium, cholesterol, etc......but it just belongs at a potluck! Frozen hash browns, shredded cheddar cheese, minced onion, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and topped with cornflake crumbs drenched in butter, and more shredded cheddar and baked until bubbly and browned.......a must!!!

probably either tater tot casserole or potato salad. both of which I never make on my own but love to eat!

For winter, I make a Beef Stew. Summer is Chinese Chicken Salad.

Has to be Maine baked beans, no shortcuts or substitutions, Yellow Eye beans and salt pork with the rest of the usual cast of characters. Deviled eggs are a close runner up.

Stuffed mushrooms, perferrably heavy on the garlic.

since i rarely have them any time other than large group gathering, deviled eggs.

Potato Salad

Classic Macaroni and cheese

My favorite potluck dish is Chili.

Mac n Cheese and deviled eggs.

Deviled eggs!

Deviled eggs or mac n cheese, seems like every family reunion at least 3 people bring mac n cheese

Macaroni Bacon salad.

Macaroni salad!

All-American, huh?
I guess meatballs in a spicy Zinfandel bbq sauce.
Generally, I go un-American and bring something Korean, like spicy pork boolgogi on skewers...always a hit. Or Korean seafood pancakes.

for dessert, cobbler
for savory, mac n cheese from a cooks country recipe of course!

Mac and cheese, popovers,

Homemade chili that's just spicy enough to add zest to the meal, but mild enough that most people will like it.

Spinach artichoke dip that's topped with chopped pecans and baked til warm and bubbly. You can enjoy it on anything - crackers, baguette...even tortilla chips. It matters not! It disappears every time.

It would have to be the "Mystery Casserole"......when you can't tell what's in it, but it is absolutely delicious!! You know -- the kind of dish that prompts you to search to find who brought it so you can get the recipe. :)

steak pizziola

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Biscuits and sausage gravy. Always a big hit at our office breakfasts/brunches.

Macaroni and cheese.

With Frank's Red Hot Sauce on the side for me. :D

A salad with fresh garden greens, poached pears, blue cheese, and caramelized pecans

mom's special sweet and sour meatballs!

mashed potato casserole.

Macaroni and cheese.

mac & cheese done right

Baked beans with those little pieces of bacon in it.

I like when someone else makes cheesy au gratin potatoes

Spaghetti, college student version.

My favorite thing that I bring to my sorority's progressive dinners has to be a variation on Ina Garten's onion dip. I just like mine with a little extra cayenne and freshly cracked black pepper.

blueberry cream cheese pie. mmm...

I think my favorite pot luck dish is baked beans actually. I love it because there is such a huge variety of different baked beans recipes out there, you nearly never find one that is the same as another, unless of course someone just cracks open a can of Bush's Baked Beans or something and puts it in a crock pot to make it look homemade. Heck even some of the recipes based on a can of baked beans are quite varied after people make some additions. Oh one more thing, BACON. Many, people put bacon in baked beans and of course, bacon makes everything better!

blue cheese cole slaw

deviled eggs. although no one makes them quite like my nana...

Big old crockpot full of chili!

Yeast rolls, the smell they give off always reminds me of family.

President Jimmy Carter's Cheese Ring with Strawberry Preserves, I take this to every pot luck, baby shower and get together at our Church and everyone loves it.

My aunt's recipe, adapted from a campbell soup label, for enchildas.

Baked cheesy potato casserole :)

baked beans

pesto pasta salad

Red bliss potato salad.

Scalloped cheesy potatoes. Oy, so yum.

Well, if I were to say something normal I'd go with banana chocolate chip cake. But really my favorite thing is this vegetarian "meat loaf" made out of things like cottage cheese, chopped walnut, and Product 19.

Lil' Smokies in a homemade barbeque sauce with a little extra cayenne pepper for some added heat.

Meatballs in a homemade sweet barbecue sauce. No matter how much I make, I never end up with leftovers.

Although is little resembles traditional goulash, the American version with ground meat and vegetables in a tomato sauce which is absorbed by macaroni noodles. It has been my favorite since a child.

Hmm, so many things but I absolutely love a good side of baked beans.

Hmmm... either a cheese ball, or pasta salad (a tasty one, not the dumbed-down Italian dressing a noodles affair).

I do a Pecan Noodle Ring (a decadent version of a simple kugel) that is always a hit. I also agree with the mac and cheese and deviled egg crowd! geez, i'm hungry.....

That Pecan Noodle Ring reminds me of my mother's Kugel. Fights have been started over it.

Savory: Beef and Noodles - Sweet: Cherry Pie

Baked ham, brisket, field pea salad, potato salad or deviled eggs.

Chicken, mushroom, rice bake. Its based on a Campbell's soup recipe using cream of mushroom soup but with a cream sauce, lots of fresh mushrooms and some white wine. Its so comforting and quite good.

Definitely some sort of baked pasta dish. Grandma would always throw together a baked pasta dish with whatever she had on hand and for some reason they were always the best!

Green chile casserole (chiles, cheese, cream, eggs).

i love these 'pinwheels,' which are flour tortillas with a cream cheese mixture (includes chives, miracle whip [oh! i know!]) and ham. Sometimes olives, too.

Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole comes to mind!

Beans with spicy sausage cooked in a crock pot. Although it's expensive to make ((8 mashed avocadoes and 1/4 cup hot sauce with just a teaspoon lemon juice, tablespoon minced garlic, and tablespoon sour cream) I avoid fillers and serve a garnish platter of onion, tomato, peppers, shredded cheese, etc) my guacamole never has leftovers.

I love dessert so I always bring something sweet! Usually brownies or double-chocolate toffee cookies.

Mac and cheese.

Mac and cheese. Definitely mac and cheese.

Chicken is good. Depends on my mood though.

It might sound bad to some, but growing up my Mom made a delicious hotdog casserole. I still need to make a healthy version of this with Smart dogs

I have a dish called Hawaiian Beef everyone loves. The original recipe is made in the microwave, but it can also be in the oven. We raise our own beef and the slivers of beef is so tender. It has pineapple, green pepper and a sweet sour sauce.

I got a recipe from Taste of Home years ago for a cheesy baked potato casserole using frozen hash browns potatoes. It's so easy and so good.

home made meat loaf w/ brown gravy... yum!!

nothing like a good pot roast

deviled eggs. there are always at least six varieties, and i know one of those will be good.

bacon wrapped jalopenos

Macaroni and Cheese. YUM!

My favorite all-American potluck dish is also macaroni and cheese :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!

Rum raisin whole wheat oatmeal cookies. When I first made them I didn't think they'd do well, but they're now always the first thing gone.

I made an apple pie with the newly formulated recipie for crust from Test Kitchen. The secret ingrediant: vodka! It was great! I really would love to win this new cookbook. There's nothing like good ole classic American baked goods!

mac and cheese all the way

german potato salad

Potato salad, the way my mom makes it: no mustard

I usually make my mom's macaroni salad recipe. It's great for barbecues and casual get togethers, and for some reason, nobody else ever brings it. Maybe they know I've got it covered. It's quick, easy, only has a few ingredients, and is a hit every time.

I'm a sucker for any pasta salads. Boring, I know.

Chili or potato salad

Mac! And! Cheese! Always and forever. And a big ol' dish of butterbeans always gets scarfed down, as well.

Mac and cheese.

Chili. There's something so comforting about it, and throwing in the crock pot makes the dish delicious, easy, and very transportation-friendly.

Crockpot Mac and cheese

my favorite potluck is a taco salad with nacho chips! YUM.

Thanks for the great giveaway. Would love to win.

meatloaf and mashed potatoes!

Deviled eggs! mmmm

we always used to bring scalloped potatoes to potlucks when i was a kid. my mom's recipe is the best!

deviled eggs, or if it's a holiday party green bean casserole

Pulled pork! Tasty and feeds a crowd.

sweet and sour meat balls

I love making and bringing my mother's favorite - Shepard's Pie. Cooked ground beef in a casserole topped with a layer of peas and then covered with mashed potatoes. You bake it until the mashed potatoes are browned.

Yummy.

I go with the classic franks and beans - however I substitute a spicy sausage for the franks!

For dessert-Banana Pudding or Pineapple Upside-Down cake.

A fresh fruit pie, preferably strawberry.

Scalloped potatoes and homemade rolls in the fall/winter and for spring/summer, grilled veggies (onions, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, asparagus,whatever looks good...) drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and once again homemade rolls. Sigh...when's the next potluck? I love tasting what everyone's brought.

pasta salad with sundried tomatoes

Throw in a turkey breast with a stick of butter. Cook over night.

Potato salad - as long as it's not the kind that comes from a five-gallon pail.

It often depends on how much time I have -- if it is a last minute invite, I have my double batch of brownies with Heath's English Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits stirred in.

If I have more time, I like to make my mother's confetti macaroni salad - it's a lot of chopping but it goes so well with just about everything and I try to make a big batch to have enough for home & the potluck!

My Mom's potato salad. Unfortunately I didn't inherit her potato salad making ability.

sweet n sour meatballs or kielbasa are always a hit around here!

Deviled Eggs!

baked beans,fresh applesauce,chocolate cake with caramel icing,Mama's green cornbread,spaghetti salad,sweet potato casserole with rum & black walnuts, depending on mood & season.

chili, with cornbread

Deviled eggs - plain, no "flourishes"

Potato salad, with plenty of bacon and mustard.

I love hash brown casserole. Thanks!

My favorite is baked beans! Thank you!

Chocolate chip cookies or Mac and Cheese or Deviled Eggs.

Potato salad. I love it.

My favorite is my grandmother's baked bean recipe. It has huge limas, tiny pintos, and a few red kidney beans. The secret to the sauce is lots of crumbly bacon. mmm.

I make two things that always hit big. A pizza-type dish using a polenta crust from the Silver Palette girls and my own modified peanut butter cookies, based on The Joy Of Cooking recipe. Creamy Skippy and extra vanilla are the big enhancements.

Potato salad, any kind will do, but it is a dish everyone loves, and goes with any potluck event!

Baked macaroni and cheese -- it's one of my favorite dishes to eat myself, and whatever I take is always gone when it time to go home because it's a plain dish sure to go over well with even the pickiest eaters!

King Ranch is my favorite!

Any kind of macaroni or pasta salad - these are my favorites.

I make kugel

Texas sheet cake .... potluck isn't the same without it!

Pieroghi casserole

I love mostaccioli for a potluck dish!

If I'm in a pinch, Banana Bread with raisins. If I have the time and can prepare ahead, Reuben Salad made with leftover corned beef, packaged cole slaw mix (or broccolli slaw,) rye croutons and Thousand Island dressing. It gets some strange looks, but ultimately rave reviews!

Mac & Cheese!

Jambalaya pasta
Dirty rice

Both dishes are winners at a potluck!

My favorite potluck dishes are macaroni and cheese and banana pudding!

Green Bean Casserole

I love to bring a good, cold pasta salad--full of cold cuts, veggies, and some bow ties!

artichoke dip

Mac and Cheese and Homemade Meatballs are two of my favorites.

For old times' sake, I like to bring Seven Layer Salad.

Beef Stew with a great crusty Bread.

Chili is probably my favorite but I make a broccoli casserole that everyone insists I bring to every family gathering.

Banana Pudding. This is something that isn't made much here in Michigan. I learned about it when i lived in North Carolina. There is nothing like a cold bowl of 'nanner puddin' on a hot day when sitting around chewing the fat with the relatives!

Love mac and cheese everyone loves it.

my fav is Pot Roast, yummy.

Potato salad

I love cooking brisket using a local brisket sause "Claudes"

It's GOT to be mac n cheese...yum!

chocolate cake!

Chili cheese squares..yum!

Devilled eggs and chicken'n'dumplings

Lasagne is my favorite casserole!

Baked beans with different meat mixed in. Yum!

Texas Hash -recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook- always is a hit.

My favorite is Mac & Cheese in all its wonderous forms.

Deviled eggs

I can't live without my chili...and brownies too!

Green bean casserole!!!!

My grandma's BBQ meatballs!

Beef stew for me!

beef stew will always do

something loaded with all sorts of tasty carbs, salt and fat.... mac 'n cheese!

baked ziti is always a hit.

squash casserole

The potluck dish I get the most raves about is easy to make. Debone a store-roasted chicken and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Open a 16-ounce package of broccoli coleslaw and toss the chicken with the slaw. Throw in a few sliced green onions and 4 ounces of sliced almonds. Dress with about half to three quarters of a bottle of Asian-style salad dressing, and toss well. I usually bring the chopped chicken in one plastic container, the package of unopened slaw, and the sliced green onions in a sandwich bag, along with the bottle of dressing. I mix the salad quickly just before placing on the potluck serving table. Enjoy!

Baked Beans are one of my favorites at a potluck.

Beef roast cooked with saurcrout on top and surrounded by potatoes and carrots.

Shepard's pie is my favorite. There's just something about meat and potatoes that warm the heart!

i like to make potato salad or brownies

Potato salad!

My favorite all-American potluck dish would be baked beans!

I make a cornbread spoon bread casserole.

Everyone always loves broccoli-chesse-rice casserole.

King Ranch Casserole

everyone loves taco dip

Greeb bean casserole, you know the one with onions in a can and cream of muchroom soup

My favortie all-American pot-luck dish is jello salad - I know that it is not really made all that much anymore, but, I love almost any jello salad that would be brought to a pot-luck. YUM. Thanks for this opportunity.

a nice simple potato salad

I've never made it but that pasta salad made with Ramen noodles.

I love to make/bring beer cheddar fondue with veggies and bread for dipping!

My favorite All American potluck dish is hamballs!

Homemade macaroni and cheese. Talk about comfort food!

Potato salad!

I don't know if I have one favorite, but everyone loves my guacamole.

Double-fudge brownies for me!

deviled eggs

string bean casserole, yummy!

Funeral Potatos,is this just a Utah thing?

brownies are always good.

Tuna casserole

Banana split cake is always a success! Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!

My Mom's baked beans made with bacon, 4 types of beans, and bacon.

My favorite is the slow cooker stew beef with veggies in
it you can't go wrong and it taste so good.
BahamaValF

my favorite dish is chicken tetrazzini!

Macaroni salad is a favorite. Not slimming but yummy. Thanks

I usually make a cold seafood pasta salad with broccolli yummy to take to gatherings

Bonnie in FL
blday50@yahoo.com

Deviled Eggs or Potato Salad.

Apple pie ala mode! Thank you!

Homemade Mashed Taters! (yes I'm Southern) With Real Butter and evaporated milk! YUMMY!

Summertime is definitely a salad - farfalle w/chicken and pesto sauce

Fall - roasted butternut squash and apple casserole

Winter - escarole and cannellini beans

Spring - quiche!

Deviled eggs. I could eat those for every meal, I swear.

King Ranch Casserole or Chicken Spaghetti.

Definitely lasagna.

Chicken Divan...with broccoli!

Macaroni and cheese is a all time favorite!

my family loves shepards pie :)

Deviled eggs or spinach dip in a Hawaiian bread bowl - American classics!

I have a green bean dish I got off the food network. It always goes over well, and the vegetables are often in short supply at potlucks.

For a pot luck I always make my Mom's potato salad, loaded with eggs, mayo and onions.

My favorite is macaroni & cheese.

A crock filled with delectable Cream of Chicken with Wild Rice Soup, although beef stew would also be very good.

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara is a safe summer-time bet.

LCrenshaw

pot roast garrettsambo@aol.com

Very cheesy Macaroni & Cheese is a must!

We have lots of favorites here and they seem to change with the seasons. In season right now is chicken pot pies, with homemade apple pies. We live in apple country, so apples are in season right now, up here in the North Country.

goulash...it's easy and a comfort food.

My mom died when I was a kid, so church potlucks were one of the only ways I got good home cooking. My favorite thing to see at these events was a baked ziti dish. I never could get enough of that. The ladies that held these events were always happy to see my sister and I eating so much!

Cold/Potato Salad Warm/Beef Stew

Chicken and dumplings

Baked pasta of any kind, preferably with cheese, when chilly, cold pasta salad of of any non-mayonnaise-based kind when it's hot out (warm mayo = no good).

green bean casserole

Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:

bndraldy
bobfole
DuncanHusky
ElspethAdair
iWander

Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.